Five Times a Mentor Did Something for Their Protégé
by Sparkly Palm Tree
Summary: And one time a protégé did something for their mentor.


Everything I've posted thus far in this site has been angst (which i love) but I needed fluff! So this happened. Mostly because I'm listening to a really sweet spotify playlist and Mr. blue Sky is playing.

ok, the whole Flash thing with Wally being abused is so popular I thought it was actually canon at first. So yeah.

M'gann happens after a breakup (supermartian)

* * *

Five times the Mentors did something for their protégé. . . 

* * *

_1._ _The Flashes_

Barry was pretty sure pianos didn't sound like doorbells.

So when Joan had slid onto the chair in front of the piano, put her hands down to play for Barry, Iris and Jay, he would admit to being confused. Joan looked up, one eyebrow raised as she put her hand down again, but this time a flurry of knocks sounded. Maybe Wally had messed with it last time he was here? The Wests has cancelled on them last minute for dinner with the entire Flash Family.

Iris put her hand under her chin. "Are you going to get that, Barry?"

Realization broke over him. Maybe Bats was right, and something _was_ wrong with his head.

He sped over to the door, nearly ripping it off his hinges. He'd expected a late night delivery (he had ordered some new equipment for his lab at home). Instead he found his favorite (only, really, but he had a feeling Wally would be his favorite regardless), superpowered red headed nephew.

Correction, his beaten, bleeding red headed nephew. Barry's jaw dropped open.

"C-Can I come in?" The usually jovial teen whispered, green eyes scared.

The elder speedster nodded instantly, drawing the boy into a hug, without asking a single question. Wally practically collapsed in his arms.

 _x(They started the adoption process the next day)x_

* * *

2\. _The Martians_

"I don't understand, Uncle J'onn! I thought things were going so well!" M'gann sobbed into her Uncle's shirt. She clutched the fabric, sniffling.

"M'gann," the elder Martian began, stroking her hair gently. "These things do happen. It is not uncommon for seemingly mutual feelings to unreciprocated-"

J'onn stopped there, knowing his words would sound hollow to the heartbroken teenager. He pushed down his pride, searching for an alternative term of comfort.

"He was being a large - as you say - 'jerk face'."

She nodded vigorously into his shoulder. "He really _was_!"

"Come, my niece, Oreos will help assuage your sadness."

The girl looked up, brown eyes gleaming. "Really?" She asked shakily.

"Truly," J'onn said, leading her to the kitchen.

 _x(Perhaps he would ask Batman to borrow some of his Kryptonite)x_

* * *

3\. _The Supers_

"Conner, I'd like you to meet Kara."

"We're cousins," the blonde smiled, sticking out her hand.

"Technically," Superman said. "You two are second cousins, since Conner is my son and _you're_ my cousin."

"Same thing," Supergirl rolled her eyes at Clark.

Conner smiled back. "It's not the same thing at all."

 _x(He had to agree with that, especially now that he'd survived Lois's punishment for not telling her that he had a son)x_

* * *

4 _. The Atlanteans_

"Send for Aqualad. He'll want to meet the young prince."

The guard left and returned at lightning speed with his protégé. The teen curled his fingers into a fist on his forehead after bowing.

"My King, My Queen," he murmured politely, smiling kindly at the woman in the bed, eyes widening when he saw the bundle in her arms.

"Is that. . ."

"Yes," Orin answered, smirking.

"And you. . ."

"Yes."

"What is. . ."

Mera laughed sweetly at his expression. "Kaldur'ahm, meet . . . Prince Kaldur'ahm.

"You two will grow up as close as brothers, I am sure," Orin beamed.

 _x(Because the newborn Prince was not his only son)x_

* * *

5. _ The Arrows_

"Why are we doing this again?"

"Becuase Dinah's making us," the two male archers said, shuddering.

"Yeah, yeah, but why am _I_ here? I get that you two have issues, but there was no need to drag _me_ into this," Artemis frowned, slumping down in her spot.

"Why is she here?" Roy asked, glaring at the blonde.

Dinah smiled as she dropped the bowls of popcorn into each of the archers' laps. "Because, like it or not Artemis, you are a part of this family."

Roy narrowed his blue eyes at the blondes in the room, sitting as far away from all of them as possible. "I _don't_ like it."

"Nobody wants you here either

Dinah ruffled his ginger hair as she sat next to the young man, ruining his plan for familial isolation.

"What did everyone pick for movie night?" Ollie asked, stroking his goatee. "And boy-o, keep your hands to yourself."

"Shut up, Ollie."

 _x(Because he_ did _want both of them there)x_

* * *

And one time a protégé did something for a mentor.

* * *

1\. _The Bats_

Bruce's head swam as he lay on the hard cot in the infirmary.

He'd been injected with a new, complex type of Fear Gas, and not a half hour ago had they made an antidote.

It had been worse than usual to say the least. He'd watched Joe Chill shoot his parents, that was nothing new. Traumatic, but unoriginal. But then he saw himself - not eight years old again, but just as helpless as the first time - walking with Dick. He had known what was going to happen, but that didn't mean he was prepared.

Nothing in his utility belt could _ever_ prepare him for seeing his son - his Putin Prihor - gunned down at the hand of that thing. As he knelt besides _his_ boy, (Dick was supposed to be his light, so why had it been so dark?), he felt the same crippling fear as he had twenty five years ago, only magnified.

Bruce had only seen the boy's sky blue eyes begin to glaze over when Alfred broke him out of his stupor with a needle prick.

He hadn't exactly been soothed by the distinct lack of Robin in the quiet cave. The butler assured him that 'Master Richard is perfectly fine, I believe he is at Mount Justice for the evening', but Bruce knew the dread-panic- _terror_ that had settled into his stomach wouldn't dissolve until he'd seen the child ( _his_ child) safe for himself.

So there Bruce lay, still but rigid, eyes closed, but never more awake. He refused to let his muscles relax until he had heard the Zeta Tubes announce a certain entrance.

That had been a good couple minutes ago, but Bruce still couldn't force himself to rest, images of a small bleeding body on the ground, never to fly again.

"Bruce?" A small voice asked.

He felt his bloodshot eyes open immediately. "Dickie. Thank God."

The boy had obviously heard about the incident, and his eyes were wide and looked almost like silver in the pale lighting of the cave. He threw his thin arms around Bruce, and he couldn't help but hold him back. He lifted Richard easily onto the cot with him, where the boy curled into his side. He rested his chin on the silky black hair, holding the young - so, _so_ young, _too_ young - boy as tightly as he could to him.

"I'm fine. You're okay, you got him," Dick murmured into his chest, sounding like he was reassuring _both_ of them, not just Bruce.

He soon felt the subtle trembling recede, and he was left clutching the sleeping boy to his chest like a lifeline. That's what Dick was, really. A connection to life, to love, he'd thought he'd lost years ago.

Soon he joined the boy in slumber.

 _x(He had no more nightmares that night)x_


End file.
